The 2026 WWE Royal Rumble left a lot of huge questions unanswered due to how things played out up and down the card. AJ Styles lost to Gunther and officially retired. Due to how he lost, however, an argument could be made to keep going.
Drew McIntyre defeated Sami Zayn yet again, dashing hopes for Zayn fans around the world. Several big names had extremely disappointing runs in the Rumble contests.
Thanks for the submission!
Officials booked Becky Lynch, LA Knight, Bron Breakker, and Asuka strangely in their respective contests.
While some angles were advanced, the execution chosen in spots was extremely questionable. Here are five burning questions following the 2026 Royal Rumble.
#5. Why did WWE give up on LA Knight?
Whatever officials say, they haven’t booked LA Knight similarly to how they handle other top stars on RAW and SmackDown. He may have won the United States title twice, but officials won’t pull the trigger on a major title run for The Megastar.
They went ahead with Jey Uso last year, and he struggled to cut great promos or have good matches as champion. Knight is levels above Jey in both regards, but is routinely booked to fall short when others prosper.
His “revenge” on the Vision wasn’t enough because his tenure in the Royal Rumble was short yet again. Had he been the Iron Man or in the final two, it wouldn’t feel like he’s being buried.
Due to his handling over the last year, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that officials don’t want to listen to his fans as they listened to Jey’s.
#4. Is Chris Jericho not coming back to WWE?
Heading up to the Royal Rumble, there was heavy speculation that former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho could be returning to WWE in the 2026 Royal Rumble.
His contract with AEW expired at the end of 2025, and many fans and analysts felt he’d be on his way back to WWE to end his career. Y2J has been off AEW television since last spring, fueling speculation even more.
Powerhouse Hobbs was the only current free agent from AEW to participate in the match. Is he still on his way back to WWE? Did plans change? Outside of Hobbs, the men’s match had few good surprises.
#3. Where is Bianca Belair?
Bianca Belair was a favorite to win the 2026 Women’s Rumble. She’s been missing since last April due to a finger injury.
WWE officials sometimes hold off on too many returns so as not to overshadow each one. That still doesn’t mean Tiffany Stratton couldn’t have entered at 15 and Belair at 20 or 25.
Staggering them is fine. The match came and went without The EST of WWE in the match. Is she still hurt? Is her return being saved for SmackDown?
#2. Is AJ Styles leaving WWE after the Royal Rumble?
AJ Styles lost to Gunther at the Royal Rumble, effectively ending his in-ring career in WWE. However, he did not leave his trademark gloves in the middle of the ring, signaling that he may not be done. Gunther did cheat once again to get the win.
The Phenomenal One is one of the names most synonymous with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling. Is his loss to Gunther the end of his in-ring career, or just his career in WWE?
#1. Who is Bron Breakker’s mystery attacker?
The Bron Breakker attack spot to open the Royal Rumble was an extremely controversial decision. Had the attack taken place during the course of the Rumble after 10 minutes in the match, it wouldn’t have been such a polarizing moment.
The attack will be used by Paul Heyman and the Vision as another instance of a conspiracy against the group. The moment was a good idea, but the timing and placement were major problems.
Fans still want to know who attacked Bron Breakker. Was it Seth Rollins? Could Austin Theory be behind the attack and trying to take the group down from the inside? Is another WWE star responsible?
Edited by Matthew Serocki
